Stones in His Pockets, Rose Theatre

Following on from the success of their epic on embittered painter William Hogarth, a sprinkling of Irish comedy comes to Kingston's Rose Theatre this February, with Marie Jones's Stones in His Pockets.

The Rose is a relatively new arrival to the London scene (it opened its doors in 2008), and was the brainchild of the incomparable Peter Hall. It now stages Jones's Olivier-winning play, where two actors play 15 characters, switching only a hat or a voice to make the change evident.

The play tells the story of the shake-up of a quiet Irish village by the arrival of Hollywood’s cameramen, who have marked it as the location for a major film. Almost the whole village find themselves swept into the production as extras, forced to play stereotypes comically out of touch with their everyday lives. Focusing only on their careers, the infuriating cast and crew come to blows with the community, resulting in an unforeseen tragedy.

The show transfers from its original venue in the US, where it received glowing reviews hailing it as both a side-splitting production and a sharp critique of Hollywood's plastic portrayal of life. Director Lindsay Posner continues to watch over it in its London run. Posner is a seasoned comedic director, with credits including the Old Vic's 2011 production of Noises Off. He should be able to make swift work of Jones's script.